German Unification and the Rise of the Nazis

Rather than creating an authoritarian system of government for Germany, the 1871 Imperial Constitution created a system of government too decentralized for Bismarck to gain complete control of Germany.

German Unification and the Rise of the Nazis

Scott AbelModern Germany: Final PaperGermanys sonderway, or special path, went from a period of German politicalunification, military defeat, and then to the rise of the authoritarianism of the Nazi party.The differences between the German Reich and Nazi Reich are too great to conclude thatGermany became a fascist state in the 1930s, because Bismarck did not set a long-termpolitical will for authoritarianism in the German people. The idea that Bismarck createda Germany that was more likely to become an authoritative state during the 1920s and1930s because of his style of governance or the nature of the Imperial Constitution isfalse. Rather, the economic and political realities of the 1920s and 1930s were muchmore important to the rise of fascism in Germany than Bismarcks policies in thenineteenth century.The German State that Otto von Bismarck helped to create was a complex statethat was composed of people with differing ideas and beliefs regarding politics. TheGerman Empire, or Reich, had a complex relationship with the states that composed it.The Imperial Constitution that was signed on May 4, 1871 defined the relationshipsbetween the states and the German Empire. The German Empire was formed as aperpetual union of three hanseatic towns and twenty-two principalities. Each state hadits own responsibilities, privileges, and rights, but had to surrender some of its power tothe centralized state. The only exception to the norm of the relationship between theEmpire and the minor state was the territory of Alsace-Lorraine, where the Empire had

direct control over the territorys administration. The formation of these states into theGerman Empire created a nation that became a truly global power.1The German Empire was governed through several bodies of government,including the Bundesrat, or Federal Council, Reichstag, or Parliament, and the office ofKaiser, or the German Emperor. The Federal Council was vested with formal sovereigntyand was a legislature that had representatives from each of the states. Theserepresentatives were not democratically elected, but were instead appointed by theleaders of their respective states. The Federal Council was not really a decision-makinginstitution used to determine German policy, but rather it was an institution that was usedby the states to prevent the over-centralization of the German Empire and to preserve therights of individual states. Otto von Bismarck pushed successfully to allow male Germanvoters to get representation through the secret ballot in the 397-seat Reichstag. TheReichstags only real power was the ability to either approve or disapprove the budget.The monarch, or German Kaiser, appointed the Chancellor, and the Kaiser could replacethe Chancellor and the people within the executive if he so desired. Otto von Bismarckwas Chancellor during the reign of Wilhelm I and had to answer to him directly.Bismarck was not an authoritarian dictator, but a civil servant whose power wasconstrained by the monarch and German people.2Although Bismarcks power was not effectively challenged in the Reich executiveoffice, he did not always get his way within the executive, because ultimately hisauthority rested with the monarch. One example of when he was unable to get his waywas when Bismarck could not remove Albrecht von Stosch from his post as chief of the1

Reich Admiralty. Despite Bismarcks public accusations of Stosch being derelict of hisduty as the chief of the Admiralty, Wilhelm I allowed Stosch to keep his position andremain directly accountable to the Kaiser from 1872 to 1883. Bismarcks power in theexecutive as Chancellor was fortified by his positions in the Prussian government, whichincluded Prussian minister-president and Prussian foreign minister. However, his powerin the Prussian government was also limited and he found difficulty in enacting theKulturkampf, because he could not remove Prussian ministers who supported tiesbetween religion and the state.3Some historians, such as Hans-Ulrich Wehler, believe that Bismarck was thedictator of the German Reich, but the notion that Bismarck had absolute power is falsebut rather he was able to achieve his objectives through the sheer power of hispersonality. Wehler argued that the Reichstag was not a significant power, because itcould only approve a budget and could be dissolved by the Emperor. Wehler is incorrectin his assessment of the Reichstag, because it did not always approve Bismarckspolicies. The vulnerability of Bismarck and how he could sometimes falter wasdemonstrated in 1881. Bismarck failed to get the legislation he wanted past through theReichstag, despite all of his attempts in forming a political majority in the Reichstag insupport of his colonial ambitions, iron budget, and tax plans. Bismarcks politicalenemies had a two-thirds majority in the Reichstag and he could not form a coalition thatwould support his policies. Bismarcks opposition believed that he was getting far toopowerful, so it attempted to check his power by blocking his legislation. Bismarckspolitical fortunes changed, not through extra-constitutional action, but after a highelection turnout with German voters support, Bismarck was legally able to pass the3

Lerman, Bismarck, 165-166, 172-173

legislation that he wanted in 1887. Although Bismarck did not belong to any particularpolitical party, he remained a very divisive figure in German politics and often dividedthe Reichstag between those who supported and opposed his policies. Bismarck was ableto get what he wanted through the sheer force of his personality and his ability tomanipulate the German public and his political rivals.4The Germany that Adolf Hitler came to power in was very different from the onethat Bismarck helped to create. The government that Hitler tried to overthrow was ademocratic republic that had a Reich President as the head of state, rather than themonarch. The new government was set up under the Weimar Constitution, whichallowed the people to vote for the Reich President directly. The only hint of thepossibility of the formation of a dictatorship within the Weimar Constitution was that thePresident could seize both legislative and executive authority in order to gain emergencypower if deemed necessary, but this power could be annulled by the Reichstag. TheWeimar Republic was set up by groups of politicians including some from the SocialDemocratic Party, Center Party, and various leftist organizations. Although Germanyinitially had trouble adjusting to the Post-war Era, the economic and political situationhad stabilized by 1924.5Hitler was able to exploit the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic, not becauseBismarck had supported the monarchy in the nineteenth century, but because Hitlersought power during the turbulent years of the Weimar Era. Hitler exploited thehumiliation of Germany caused by the Treaty of Versailles, to incite Germans to join hiscause. This treaty humiliated the German people, because it limited the size of the4

Lerman, Bismarck, 200-202

German Army to ten divisions, removed fortifications, and disallowed an air force. Thetreaty also limited the German Navy to six battleships, six light cruisers, and twelvedestroyers. Also, Germany was forced to pay 132 billion gold Marks as war reparations.Besides hurting the German economy, the reparations helped Hitler criticize the Weimargovernment for being weak against foreign powers.6Another factor in the 1920s and 1930s that allowed for Hitler to come into powerwas the faltering of the economy and a political vacuum that occurred. The effects of theGreat Depression were being felt in Germany and by 1932, because there was a rise inunemployment from 1,368,000 to 6,014,000 people in a short period of time. The Naziswere able to exploit theses economic issues for political power by blaming socialists,Jews, and the wealthy for the economic problems Germany faced. The Nazis used thesuffering of small farmers and lower middle-class workers to great political advantageduring their rise to power. The Nazis were able to gain much power through a powervacuum in 1932, but were capable of seizing authority once they allied themselves withthe political leadership of von Papen and von Hindenburg. The seizure of power by theNazis meant that not only was the democratic opposition was forced underground, butalso that other conservative politicians who did not want Hitler as a dictator were forcedout of power.7Once Hitler seized power, he managed it far differently than the way Bismarckdid. When President Paul von Hindenburg died, Hitler combined the powers of thePresidents office with that of the Chancellors office, which he held at the time ofHindenburgs death. This was a blatant violation of the Weimar Constitution and a clear6

Peukert, The Weimar Republic, 53

6. The Terms of the Treaty of Versailles, edited by Sax and Kuntz, Inside Hitlers Germany: ADocumentary History of Life in the Third Reich (Lexington: DC Heath, 1992), 47-507Sax and Kuntz, Inside Hitlers Germany, 66-68, 94

overstepping of Hitlers legal power. The Nazis destroyed all opposition parties andcreated an authority that exceeded the power of the judicial system. Hitler and the Naziscould control or destroy any of Germanys institutions, such as the military. Bismarckcomplained that he did not have enough control or power over the military, but Hitler hadfewer problems getting the German Army to obey him completely.8Germany was brought under the fascist dictatorship of Hitler and Nazi party, notbecause of the authoritarianism of Bismarck, but because of the economic and politicalsituation of the 1930s. Germany lost its democratic virtues in exchange for a dictatorshipin the hopes that a political entity could return Germany to the glory days, but this systemof government was very different from that of the days of the German Reich. Bismarckwas answerable to the monarch and acted as such, but Hitler answered to no one and didas he pleased, regardless of the consequences.